River Gains Another Rival: The Monumental
With their poor performances, they have earned the frustration and fatigue of their own fans, who will be another challenge to overcome on Sunday when they face Rosario Central.
The three games this semester, one worse than the other and without reaction (photos by Emmanuel Fernández).
In their next game, River will play against Rosario Central, a team that was strong but suffered several blows that put DT Almirón at risk of dismissal; in fact, when all around it was reported that President Belloso would announce his dismissal, he announced his continuity. “Until my mom tells me to fire him”, said the manager.
Also this Thursday will be defined if their rival in the Sudamericana octaves will be Santa Fe or Caracas, although it doesn’t matter: today any team, whether Central of Angelito Di María or an Aldosivi that has 0 of 17 wins in the annual table, becomes Real Madrid or Arsenal when facing Millonario.
And the prolongation of that image has provided another rival, which already intervened in some measure, with their chattering and “¡Jugadooores...!”, in the exile of 14 at the end of the thin semester (all of them, with well-deserved aplauses).
That rival is The Monumental, which continues to fill people who follow it and expect answers worthy of their support, but has become a threat. What explains that, for example, Galarza Fonda, who had the personality to be a figure in almost all Paraguay’s World Cup games and faced Germans and Frenchmen, just a few days ago put on River’s jersey and looked like a wet chicken, did not give a good pass, lost duels and was blocked?
It is hard to recognize in those shadows the four-year-old world champions.
Nothing easy will be getting out of that scenario with people demanding answers and waiting for someone to correct the ship.
Because the club’s management has not hit the mark: a market that tried to correct previous bad markets, devalued its patrimony and so far did not solve anything; an coach who does not find the hole in the mate; the almost indifferent loss of his best player (JFQ); a sports director whose first big move was to bring Arambarri...
